Alabama Ranks as 7th Worst State in the U.S. Across Multiple Categories, According to U.S. News Study
When examined across 71 key metrics in eight categories, including crime, education, health care, and infrastructure, Alabama doesn’t fare well against most other states, ranking as the nation’s 7th worst, according to the annual study published by U.S. News.
Launched in 2017 as the first comprehensive study of the 50 states based on a wide set of criteria, the U.S. News rankings aim to provide a platform for citizens, government leaders, and business executives to compare and better understand the issues that matter most for states.
The data accumulated in route to compiling the rankings aims to show how well states serve their residents. In calculating the rankings, each of the eight categories was assigned weights based on the average of three years of data from recent national surveys that asked nearly 70,000 people to prioritize each subject in their state.
Across the eight categories, Alabama finished in the top half of states in only one category — fiscal stability, where it ranked 19th. In that category, researchers evaluated how capable states are in meeting both their long-term and short-term fiscal obligations while securing a stable economic future.
Here’s how Alabama ranked across the other seven categories:
– Crime & Corrections: 28th
– Economy: 32nd
– Education: 45th
– Health care: 44th
– Infrastructure: 36th
– Natural environment: 47th
– Opportunity: 31st
While Alabama did not fare well in the rankings, it did fare better than some of its neighbors. Louisiana found itself as the worst state in the U.S., with a last place ranking for crime & corrections and next-to-last for natural environment, economy, and infrastructure. Mississippi ranked 48th, finishing last in health care and education.
At the other end of the spectrum, Florida was the lone representative of the traditional southern states to crack the top 10, ranking 9th. Utah was named the best state in the U.S., followed by New Hampshire, Nebraska, Minnesota, Idaho, Iowa, Vermont, Washington, Florida, and Massachusetts.
The full study can be found on the U.S. News website.